DUBLIN Ohio Wendy's is looking for the "next great hamburger" and is asking customers to help the chain find it.
Wendy's has launched a 25-city taste tour in North America and debuted a special website, www.ThisIsMyBurger.com, as it seeks customer-inspired flavorings that could lead to a new burger being added to the chain's menu.
Consumers who visit the site through Aug. 15 can choose from 54 ingredients - including sauerkraut, pineapple and pepperoni - 13 cheeses and 20 condiments to create their ideal burger for the "Build Wendy's New Burger" contest.
The six-month tour will begin this week in Charlotte and Greensboro, N.C. Consumers will be able to sample free hamburgers and use computer kiosks to access the website and enter the contest.
Ateam of Wendy's hamburger experts will judge the contest and determine how well the entries would fit into the menu. Ten finalists will be chosen, and consumers will be allowed to vote Aug. 24 to Sept. 24 for their favorite products. The winner will receive $25,000 and may have his or her burger added to the menu. The nine runners-up will receive free burgers for a year.
The contest website also contains a page called "Create Your Wendy," allowing visitors to create their own versions of the chain's namesake, a video gallery combining those versions with music by regional bands, and humorous videos depicting how a great hamburger can spice up everyday situations.
Arandom instant-win contest on the site will award visitors free hamburgers for a year as an incentive for registering on the site and visiting frequently.
The contest and taste tour are designed to support Wendy's new "That's Right" ad campaign. Chief marketing officer Ian Rowden called the initiative an important strategic milestone for the chain because it will "give thousands of consumers the opportunity to more deeply interact with our brand and personalize their Wendy's experience."